Mukilteo Beacon - Your Hometown News Source

Editor’s note: Beacon columnist Chuck Wright recently received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The Beacon asked him to share his experience.

Most of the process went like a shot in the arm but like any mind-boggling and mostly overwhelming technological processes getting to the finish line is not a straight shot. My wife and I were waiting for the phase “1B Tier 1” group, the upper echelon age group, to be notified that we could put our names, along with the other stampeders, on a list so we would receive our first of two shots that would protect us against the COVID killer.

I finally received a call from a friend who advised me that our group could now go on line to sign up for a vaccination shot. I immediately passed his words onto my wife Karen, and she picked up her laptop with the intention of going onto the Snohomish County Department of Health sign up site. It took more than a few frustrating minutes before she finally did logon. And to our relief she was able to register both of us for one of the very few remaining next day Monroe Fairgrounds parking lot slots.

After arriving in our car for the 3 p.m. appointment we became just one car on the conveyer belt style line. Even with this long “U” type pattern and to our mental comfort our 23-plus car line. In this unbroken stop and go congestion within 25 minutes we were face mask to face mask with the check-in person. She asked for our names and then looked down on her hard copy list, and after verifying our appointment time this volunteer handed us some forms to fill out. So with that paperwork in hand and at 2 miles per hour we reached our next check in point. At this stage we handed over our completed symptom and allergic health questionnaire. The man looked it over and since we were “all clear” he directed us to the emergency medical technician (EMT), who would be giving us our shots.

We were asked to roll up either left or right sleeves in order for the firewoman to easily inject a needle into our upper arm muscle. But before she did so, this professional advised each of us that we might have some “discomfort” due to the medication being “very thick” and that within seconds after receiving the shot we could also have a warm feeling around the area. In our case both of her prophecies were fulfilled.

The next direction we received was for me to park our car in the 15-minute parking area where we would remain for that time. The EMT wanted to make sure we didn’t have any major side effects from the vaccine dosage. During this waiting period we were reminded to get our next, and final potion, on the 28th day after receiving this first dosage.

Over the next four days the area where I received my shot was a .05 on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the worst.

I did develop a very little red blotching around the area. But thankfully that was my only reactions.

On the contrary Karen felt sleepy for a few days and the zone around where she received the vaccination, Karen developed a wide, swollen crimson colored, irregular and warmish patch, but pleasantly those effects vanished within five days.

After napping and sleeping off and on during the next two days she began to feel normal again. When my partner used the 1 to 10 rating scale to grade the first two days of discomfort she subjectively came up with a three.

According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) COVID website after the FIRST immunization shot the most common side effects could be

• Pain

• Swelling

• Redness (although in a very few cases the redness might be noticed on other parts of one’s body)

• Chills

• Sluggishness, tiredness and or weariness

• Headache

These side effects usually come into view within a day or two after artificially getting the shot. One might feel they have the flu and hinder the person’s ability to do their normal daily activities. But within a very short time the symptoms should go away. If they do not, then for safety and health reasons, the affected individual should immediately contact their medical provider.

Darn right, being under the vaccination protecting bubble from Moderna lot number 032620A has been a real, and figuratively, agreeable shot in the arm for both of us!